Migraine and epilepsy drug Topamax is being recalled by its manufacturer, Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, a division of Johnson and Johnson. This recall affects only two lots of 100 mg tablets. This recall does not affect topiramate, generic copies of this brand. Since the generic form is much cheaper, most patients have switched to it from branded Topamax. This adds another problem to this beleaguered drug. It was recently reclassified by the FDA from pregnancy category C to category D, which means that it is much more dangerous for the fetus than originally thought. Topiramate is also associated with a high incidence of kidney stones (20%) and can cause other serious problems. This is why we always emphasize non-drug approaches (exercise, acupuncture, biofeedback magnesium, Botox, etc), which can be more effective and are much safer than drugs.
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